NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Babies younger than six months
old should never be given water to drink, physicians at Johns
Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore remind parents.
Consuming too much water can put babies at risk of a
potentially life-threatening condition known as water
intoxication.

"Even when they're very tiny, they have an intact thirst
reflex or a drive to drink," Dr. Jennifer Anders, a pediatric
emergency physician at the center, told Reuters Health. "When
they have that thirst and they want to drink, the fluid they
need to drink more of is their breast milk or formula."

Because babies' kidneys aren't yet mature, giving them too
much water causes their bodies to release sodium along with
excess water, Anders said. Losing sodium can affect brain
activity, so early symptoms of water intoxication can include
irritability, drowsiness and other mental changes. Other
symptoms include low body temperature (generally 97 degrees or
less), puffiness or swelling in the face, and seizures.

ADVERTISEMENT

"It's a sneaky kind of a condition," Anders said. Early
symptoms are subtle, so seizures may be the first symptom a
parent notices. But if a child gets prompt medical attention,
the seizures will probably not have lasting consequences, she
added.

Water as a beverage should be completely off limits to
babies six months old and younger, Anders and her colleagues
say. Parents should also avoid using over-diluted formula, or
pediatric drinks containing electrolytes.

Anders said it may be appropriate in some cases to give
older infants a small amount of water; for example to help with
constipation or in very hot weather, but parents should always
check with their pediatrician before doing so, and should only
give the baby an ounce or two of water at a time.

If a parent thinks their child may have water intoxication,
or if an infant has a seizure, they should seek medical
attention immediately, she advised.